I don’t think those shoes are the best choice for playing on the playground. Are you sure you should wear them before Sunday?” she wisely advised me while flipping pancakes in our sunflower adorned kitchen. 

“Oh mom, they will be fine. I’ll make sure not to do any running today and I really want to show them to Maggie!” I quipped back while shoving sweet maple syrup pancakes in my mouth.

I stared down with admiration at my shiny black patent leather shoes with black bows. They really snazzed up my faded Jordache jeans and my favorite My Little Pony sweatshirt that was now a dirty pink color from so many washes. I wondered what Maggie, my new best friend, would say about my beautiful shoes. She was always wearing brand new name brand clothes and I was puzzled why she wanted to hang out with me. I was the girl who was always wearing stretched, worn out hand-me-downs from the older girls at church. It wasn’t that often that I got a new pair of shoes from the store. I couldn’t wait to strut my stuff on the playground in shoes no one else had ever worn. 

As I walked down the noisy kid littered hall to Mrs. Swader’s class that morning, I listened to the click-click-click of my shoes hitting the slick linoleum hallway. I felt like a tap dancer walking onto the stage to give one of my greatest performances. I’m pretty sure everyone was staring at my feet in awe. The fluorescent lighting really gave them a shine that was absent in our cozy lighting we used at home. I turned and slid into Mrs. Swader’s class with a little swagger. The slide of my shoes on the slick floor was unexpected, but I somehow pulled it off like I meant to give a grand entrance.

“Ewww, Tonya! I LOVE your shoes!”, Maggie squealed with glee. I stood a little taller and told her thanks. 

“I got them to wear next Sunday with the new Easter dress mom made me”, I proudly stated as I lifted one foot up and turned it back and forth so Maggie could get a better look. I put my foot down and wiggled it around. They were a little tight on my feet and I could feel the hint of a blister forming on the back of my right heel. I didn’t care though. I was thrilled to have a pair of shoes that hadn’t already been stretched out by someone else’s feet. 

During math class I stared longingly outside at the cracked and crumbled blacktop concrete we used as our playground. It was an empty lot set up between the elementary school and the high school. Two basketball hoops looked like they were placed accidentally across each other on the uneven paved lot. When the recess bell rang at the end of our seemingly long math lesson on multiplication, I jumped from my chair and followed the sea of students out to the lot. I ran over to Maggie and our gaggle of girlfriends and interlocked my fingers so we could start our cruise around the lot. 

As we walked, I found myself slipping on the uneven pavement with every other pace. Maggie gripped my hand firmly and said with concern, “Your shoes are like ice skates on this pavement! Don’t worry though, we’ve got you.” I held on tightly as we trudged on and began sliding my feet like I was actually wearing skates across the hard uneven ground. 

As we came to the big hill, I pointed at the top and said excitedly, “Look who it is!” Darren Burns stood at the top running his fingers through his sweaty blond hair. He was playing a game of chase with his best friends. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t go to the top today since your shoes are so slick,” Maggie advised. 

"I’ll be fine,” I said. Plus, I thought hopefully to myself, maybe Darren will talk to me or at least glance my way. 

We began making the long journey up the treacherous asphalt hill. I looked Darren’s way and we locked eyes. I gave an awkward wave and a smile trying to look nonchalant. Then to my surprise, I felt both of my feet slide fast back behind me and I fell forward. BAM! I landed on the hard concrete flat on my face. 

Stunned I sat up and heard Maggie’s anxious voice, “Tonya, are you okay? You fell reall…..” her voice trailed off and she clapped her hand over her mouth. The other girls let out screams. Maggie shook off her shock and yelled, “Mrs. Swader! Help! Tonya’s hurt really bad!” 

I could see all the kids running to circle around me and I could feel the heat on my cheeks as I turned red. “Get back and give her some room!” Maggie said in her most bossy voice. “Can you stand up?” she asked me. I nodded yes and tried to talk, but realized my mouth was full of something warm. I looked down to see that my beloved shirt was now stained crimson. My mouth and my chin stun and I could feel the water building up in my eyes. I tried to choke back the tears, but they wiggled out and ran slowly down my cheeks. Mrs. Swader came running with a towel and had me place it carefully over my mouth and chin. Maggie put my arm around her shoulder and helped me off the ground. On the other side of me, Mrs. Swader put her arm around my waist on and the three of us straddled across the lot towards the school with the whole playground staring at my wrecked face. 

I sat sulking in the office with ice on my chin waiting for my mom to come pick me up. The nurse had pulled a piece of my front tooth out of my lower lip and I needed stitches in my chin. Mrs. Swader let Maggie stay with me because I was so upset. I looked down at my scuffed up new shoes and wished I had listened to my mom’s advice that morning. 

I smiled at Maggie even though it hurt and gave her hand a squeeze. Maggie was a good friend. She didn’t seem to care that I wore hand-me-down clothes or that my mom made my dresses from free cloth she got from her job at the fabric store. She didn’t care that I qualified for the free lunch plan. She didn’t care that I couldn’t take ballet lessons with her even though I begged and begged. My mom was already working two jobs just to pay our bills. I realized that I didn’t need new shoes for Maggie to be my friend. She just liked me for me.  

From that day on, I took my mom’s advice and always wore sensible shoes when I needed to.